Safety is the primary concern in transporting students. Safety
on school buses is the shared responsibility of students, parents,
school staff, bus contractors and bus drivers.

Parents and
guardians should read and explain these rules to their children. We ask
your cooperation in helping us provide a safe and pleasant ride for all
students by impressing upon your child(ren) the importance of bus
safety and courtesy at the bus stop and on the bus.

Rules On The Bus For A Safe and Pleasant Ride
1. Immediately follow directions of driver.
2. Sit in your seat facing forward.
3. Talk quietly and use appropriate language.
4. Keep all parts of your body inside the bus.
5. Keep your arms, legs and belongings to yourself.
6. No fighting, harassing, intimidating or horseplay.
7. Do not throw any object.
8. No eating, drinking, or use of tobacco.
9. Do not damage the school bus.

Breaking The Rules
1. Driver will warn student.
2. Driver may assign a seat to student
3. Report will be filed with the Transportation Office and the school.

A report is filed immediately for any act that is dangerous or destructive.

Rules at the Bus Stop
1. Get to your stop 5 to 10 minutes before scheduled pick up time.
2. Respect property of others while waiting at your stop.
3. Stay away from the street while waiting for the bus.
4.
If you must cross the street, always cross in front of the bus where
the driver can see you. Wait for the driver to signal to you before
crossing the street.

Getting on the Bus
1. Stand several feet back from where the bus will stop.
2.
Line up and wait your turn. Wait for the bus to stop before moving
forward to board it. Pushing and shoving causes accidents.
3. Use the hand rail while boarding the bus.
4. Take a seat quickly, filling seats in the back first. Delays in getting seated cause buses to be late.
5. Do not save seats for friends.
6. On many buses, students must sit three to a seat. Move over so each student can be seated.

Riding the Bus
1. Small radios or tape players may be carried and used on the bus only if you use headphones.
2. Do not open windows without asking the driver’s permission.
3. Do not bring large musical instruments (tuba, baritone, string bass and cello) and other items you cannot hold on your lap.
4. No animals are allowed on buses, except service animals used by students with disabilities.
5. In cases of emergency, follow the driver’s instructions.
6. Drivers will pick up and drop off students only at designated bus stops.

Leaving the Bus
1. Leave the bus in an orderly manner. Move quickly, but do not push and shove.
2. Use the hand rail when getting off the bus.
3. After getting off the bus, move away from the bus.
4.
Absolutely no “skitching” — holding onto the back of the bus while it
is moving on snowy and icy roads. Skitching is dangerous and ILLEGAL.

Change of Address
If
you move during the school year, please complete a Change of Address
Form at your earliest opportunity. It will take three to five working
days to change your child’s routing. Early notification will prevent
interrupted bus service.

Bus Assignment
Allowing children to
ride buses they are not assigned to may cause overcrowding on those
buses, preventing the students assigned to them from having a safe and
comfortable ride. Consistency of routes is also very important for
safety. Therefore, students must ride only the buses to which they are
assigned. In order to be fair and consistent, this policy applies to
all students. Students will not be allowed to ride with friends for any
reason.

Temporary Transportation
Temporary transportation
is available if the parent/guardian is going to be out of town i.e.
family emergency and can be accommodated by an existing route. A
Temporary Care Request Form (available in the Transportation Office)
must be completed at least three days prior to departure.

Route Timing
When
school opens in the fall, inconsistencies in route timings are often
experienced. Fortunately, the weather during that time of the year is
usually quite pleasant and we appreciate your patience as the drivers
get familiar with their routes and riders. As the year progresses, the
times should be more consistent, but it is still a good idea to be at
the bus stop no more than 5 to 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled pick-up
time. The weather, traffic, and students not riding can affect the
timing.

Bus Stops
Bus stops are determined by need and
location of bus riders and may change from year to year. Students must
use the stop assigned unless another stop is approved by the
Transportation staff. It is not unusual for students to walk several
blocks to an assigned bus stop. Bus drivers are not required to stop if
there are no students waiting, so it is important for students to be at
the stop a few minutes before bus time, waiting to board the bus.

Medical Conditions
If
your student has a medical condition that could result in a medical
emergency while being transported, such as; seizures, diabetes, asthma,
and/or a life threatening allergy, please obtain and complete the
Transportation/Health Form at your child’s school before the first day
of school.

Eligibility
Students in grades K-5 who live more
than 1.25 miles, grades 6-8 who live more than 1.5 miles and grades 9-12
who live more than 2 miles from school are bused at district expense.
If a student is in child care, the district will bus from the child care
address if it meets the criteria listed below.

Child Care
Transportation can be provided to and/or from child care if the following circumstances exist:
•The child care is in the attendance area of the school your child attends.
•The child care address is more than 1.25 miles from the school.
•Child Care Request form is completed in its entirety and signed by both parent and child care giver.
•The child care, in cases of kindergarten students, has the same AM/PM assignment.
Requests
for transportation from child care must be made every school year using
the form available in the Transportation Office, Room 122, Edison
Building, 615 7th Street, S.W. Rochester.

Inclement Weather
In
the event of inclement weather, some route adjustments may be
necessary. On occasion, the driver may have to make spontaneous
decisions based on localized conditions. Announcements regarding school
closing/late starts will be broadcast on area television and radio
stations.
Discipline Procedures
If a student does not follow the
rules on the bus, the driver will try to resolve the problem as
explained in the “Rules on the Bus” section. If the driver cannot
obtain cooperation from the student, he/she will file a discipline
report with the Transportation Office of the School District. Telephone
conversations and/or written notification will be made to student,
principal and parent/guardian concerning all reports. Video/Audio
Cameras will be used as a tool for improved safety and student
management.

Consequences for breaking the rules are as follows:

Elementary (Grades K-5)
First Report: Recorded as a warning.
Second Report: Three-day suspension of bus privileges beginning with the school day after notification.
Third Report: Five-day suspension of bus privileges beginning with the school day after notification.
Fourth
Report: Five-day suspension of bus privileges beginning with the
school day after notification. Parent/guardian and student must meet
with Transportation staff before student is allowed to ride the bus
again.
Fifth Report: Ten-day suspension of bus privileges beginning
with the school day after notification. Parent/guardian and student
must meet with Transportation staff before student is allowed to ride
the bus again.
Further Offenses: Each case will be considered
individually. Student may be suspended for longer periods of time,
including the remainder of the semester or school year.

Secondary (Grades 6-12)
First Report: Recorded as a warning.
Second Report: Five-day suspension of bus privileges beginning with the school day after notification.
Third
Report: Ten-day suspension of bus privileges beginning with the school
day after notification. Student and parent/guardian must meet with
Transportation staff before student is allowed to ride the bus again.
Fourth
Report: Twenty-day suspension of bus privileges beginning with the
school day after notification. Student and parent/guardian must meet
with Transportation staff before student is allowed to ride the bus
again.
Fifth Report: Bus privileges suspended for the rest of the
semester or school year beginning with the school day after
notification.

**Dangerous or destructive offenses will result in
suspension of busing privileges. The length of the suspension will be
determined by the degree of the offense.

**Students damaging
school buses will be responsible for the damages. Failure to pay such
damages within two weeks will result in the loss of bus privileges until
damages are paid to the bus company.

**Meetings will be held
during office hours (7:30am-4:45pm). If a meeting is required and the
student and parent/guardian do not attend, the suspension will continue
until the meeting is held.

Video/Audio Taping
School buses are
equipped to video/audio tape bus rides. Students and bus drivers are aware that a camera is on their bus. The video cameras will be used to
help monitor the school bus rides to discourage and detect unsafe and
inappropriate behavior. Cameras will also be used as a tool for driver
training and safety education for children.

NOTICE: Minnesota law states that transportation by school bus is a privilege, not a right.

School Bus Lighting System
Motorist Must Stop:
School buses in ISD 535 use the stop arm when students cross the road or when the bus cannot get out of the lane of traffic.